French vendor Inside Secure says it is supplying its NFC chipsets to a “leading mobile phone manufacturer”. The company's chipset will appear in a smartphone with a launch scheduled for mid-2012. The company did not reveal the name of the manufacturer although it does say the smartphone will run on one of the most widely used mobile operating systems under licence.  The company also revealed that it has so far shipped 20 million of its MicroRead and SecuRead NFC chipsets since February 2011. And half of these shipments have taken place in the three past months, reflecting an upturn in business which will encourage the mobile industry about growth in the NFC market. The company's last update was in the autumn of 2011.

The market for NFC chipsets is a highly competitive one in which vendors are eager to publicise their contract wins. Inside Secure is a leading supplier of NFC chipsets although it lags market leader NXP. It also faces competition from the likes of Broadcom. Inside Secure currently supplies chipsets to a number of vendors including ZTE and RIM. The company’s general manager and EVP Charles Walton said the current contract proves that it had “earned the confidence of major OEMs and operators in this industry”. He also commented that the selection showed the company’s solution was building momentum as the NFC markets “moves into the mainstream”. Further insight about the state of the NFC market will come this week with the quarterly results announcement from NXP. As the market leader, it is considered a bellwether for the sector.

Inside Secure’s chipsets enable smartphone users to pay for goods when shopping or buy public transport tickets, as well as perform non-payment tasks such as calling a taxi by tapping a smart tag in a poster, exchange virtual business cards and pair Bluetooth devices and Wi-Fi devices more quickly.